IllustrationTHE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE'S ENHANCED TRACTION SYSTEM (ETS). *NM WHEN THE TRACTION LIGHT WOULD COME ON THE VEHICLE WOULD COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN, WHICH OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. *SC *JB
2002 Chevrolet Cavalier
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 140.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Cavalier years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
280–25K
1625–50K
3150–75K
1275–100K
9100–150K
6150K+
102 reports with mileage · 94 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
24 crash reports4 fire reports19 injury reports
What owners actually said
196 reportsSINCE PURCHASING MY 2002 VEHICLE I HAVE HAD TO ALREADY PUT A NEW BATTERY, NEW ALTERNATOR, NEW TIRES (ACCEPTABLE) TWO SETS OF BRAKES AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STILL IS ON AND NO ONE CAN FIND OUT WHY SO THEREFORE I CAN'T GET AN INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE UNTIL LIGHT IS OFF. HELP. *NM
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE. THE CONSUMER PULLED OVER AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION. *JB
THE MOTOR IN THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW IS NOT WORKING. ALTHOUGH MY VEHICLE HAS 60,000 MILES ON IT, I DO NOT FEEL THAT AFTER 2 YEARS THE MOTOR SHOULD BE BAD. *JB
TIMING CHAIN BROKE AT ABOUT 45 MPH, CAUSING ENGINE TO FAIL. RESULTS DETERMINED BY THE DEALER SHOWED THAT TIMING CHAIN SHATTERED, TEARING UP THE ENGINE.*AK
WHEN BRAKING CONSUMER HEARD A GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR BRAKES. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK
TRAC OFF WARNING LIGHT ETS (ELECTRONIC TRACTION SYSTEM) CAME ON. REPAIRS DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM WITH THE ETS. *BF NAR *JLS THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN WHILE IN MOTION. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT THE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM HAD TO BE REPLACED AN CLEANED BUT COULD NOT GUARANTEE THAT THIS WOULD CORR…
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TRAC OFF WARNING LIGHT ETS (ELECTRONIC TRACTION SYSTEM) CAME ON. REPAIRS DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM WITH THE ETS. *BF NAR *JLS THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN WHILE IN MOTION. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT THE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM HAD TO BE REPLACED AN CLEANED BUT COULD NOT GUARANTEE THAT THIS WOULD CORRECT THE PROBLEM IN WHICH IT DID NOT. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE REPAIRS. *SC *JB
THE TRACTION OFF WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SHUT DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP AND FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM BUT THE REPAIRS MADE DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM WITH THE ENHANCED TRACTION SYSTEM. *BF THE CONSUMER FEELS THAT SINCE THE REPAIRS DID NOT CORRECT THE PROB…
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THE TRACTION OFF WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SHUT DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP AND FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM BUT THE REPAIRS MADE DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM WITH THE ENHANCED TRACTION SYSTEM. *BF THE CONSUMER FEELS THAT SINCE THE REPAIRS DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM HE SHOULD BE REIMBURSED THE FULL AMOUNT. *NM *SC *JB
THERE WERE ENHANCED TRACTION SYSTEM PROBLEMS WHICH WERE CONTINUOUS. THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED AND DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM WITH THE ETS. *BF THE TRAC OFF WARNING LIGHT HAD COME ON AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. THE BATTERY WARNING LIGHT HAD ALSO COME ON. *SC
DUE TO ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS IN THE VEHICLE, THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE WIRES UNDER THE DASHBOARD HAD MELTED. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPAIRED. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION. *JB
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.